Slowly, she woke up. Her eyes opened. The first thing she saw was the golden hue of the sky, the leaves swaying over her.

She pushed herself up slightly onto one of her arms. She looked side to side, and saw that she was still being held by a demon. With a small smile, she brushed one of her eyes.

Apart from her, there was only another one awake. She looked down, to those small black eyes. The rabbit sniffed her curiously, curled on the chest of the blond, who slept outstretched on the grass. Giving the small animal a soft caress, she looked again to her right. Carefully, she shifted in Uriel’s hold. She moved his arms down and got out of his gentle grip. She left him there, sitting against the tree, not wanting to wake him up.

She stood. She was surprised to feel slight discomfort when she did so. She felt a little dizzy, but she attributed it to having slept for so long. She made her way towards a small pond in the field, not too far from where they had laid.

She took water in her hands and threw it onto her face, to try to wake up more.

It did not ease her strange haze much, but it did wake her up completely.

Abiel had hopped off Alexis’ chest, and had followed her. Looking up at her, the rabbit kept sniffing, as if asking why she left the comfort of their makeshift nest.

She just nudged his ears with a frown, sighing.

“Go back with Alexis, Abiel.”

The rabbit kicked the green grass, obviously in protest. It seemed he did not like to have his big bundle dismantled and wanted her to go back to their side.

She really did not want to move right now. She sat down by the water and took multiple sips. She felt ill, and she did not know why. It could not have been the cold, because it was not nighttime yet. Even then, Uriel would have made sure to warm up the air if needed. His hold was comforting.

She sat there for a while, and it did not go unnoticed. First, an angel opened an eye, confused by the lack of munches on his shirt. Then, said angel shifted, accidentally brushing the nearby demon with his feet. Both of them exchanged sleepy glances, wondering where the ones they had held were.

Uriel was the first to notice the two near the water. Ayako flinched a little when she felt one of his claws on her shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

While he asked, Alexis had moved too, grabbing away the rabbit from the small pond. She answered with a small groan, glaring down at the water.

“I don’t feel so well, guys.”

Alexis frowned. He was worried, but he was still blunt.

“You were fine before. What’s wrong?”

Before falling asleep under the shade of the tree, she had been happy to lie on this field, away from everything for a day. The oaks were green, the weather was perfect, and no travelers knew of this secluded field in their home.

“I don’t know. Sorry for waking you up. I just feel… a little tired. I think.”

Uriel looked up to the sky. Noting the setting sun, he spoke up, with a caring tone.

“It should be best to go home. I don’t want you to get sick.”

She stood up, patting down her clothes with a faltering smile.

“Don’t worry, Uri. I’m perfectly fine. I must be tired.”

“Of lying down all day doing nothing?” Uriel shot him a scolding look, which made him raise his hands up defensively. “What? It’s true!”

Ayako laughed, finding their concern and sarcasm amusing.

“You are right. I slept too much.”

Uriel was not one to joke when he was worried. She yelped when he lifted her up in his arms, too protective for his own good.

“Not taking any chances. Could have been the water you drank before sleeping.”

“But the water of the pond couldn’t be clearer… I just drank again from it!”

“I will check tomorrow if it’s really contaminated, we can’t have water like that near the manor. Right now we have to take you back home.”

“Uri, I’m okay.” He let her down in the back of the cart they had used to come here, to then walk around and hop to grab the reigns of the horse. She peeked out from the inside, protesting. “We were having fun. You’re overreacting.”

Alexis hoped into the back with her, shrugging with a smile.

“No way you’ll change his mind, Aya. He’s stubborn, more when it comes to our wellbeing.”

She pouted, crossing her arms in defeat. Uriel hit the reigns and began to carry them away from the field, back towards their home. She peeked out again, this time to look back. She stared sadly at the green field, having enjoyed a lot to rest there, with the two of them.

She cursed having woken up, wishing she could still be asleep in Uriel’s hold.

———————-

Her days felt like waves. One moment she would be fine, and in the next, she would feel sick. Day by day, she couldn’t avoid noticing that something was not right. She did not feel… normal.

While lying down on the couch, with a small towel on her head, she could hear them argue.

“Nothing on her books matches with what she has.”

“It cannot be a new disease. Can’t it?”

“Humans are much more fragile than us angels, but even then, diseases don’t just appear like this out of nowhere. We only have records of plagues, which spread suddenly and then wipe out a lot of humans. But those originate from lack of hygiene. She is careless, but not that-”

Groaning, she moved the towel from her eyes, sending the nearby angel a glare.

“Alex, I can hear you. I’m sick, not deaf.”

Uriel kept musing, pacing on the room while holding a claw to his chin. He was not even looking at her anymore, all too focused on his worried thoughts.

“She has fevers, but it’s not a cold. She has thrown up once, but it wasn’t because of the food. She feels tired, but we have let her rest…” He shook his head, looking away from all the books they had read in search of an explanation. “It does not make any sense.”

Before they could keep arguing and tire themselves in a senseless debate, someone entered the room. Pushing the doors open with his muzzle, a lynx padded his way in, with frustration in his red eyes. Eyeing them down, he neared the couch, and then dropped harshly the book he had carried in his jaws.

The book fell heavily on the carpet, at his feet. While kicking it open, he glared up at the clueless angel and nervous demon, speaking with a scolding tone.

“You two, you have to be the blindest idiots that there could be.” He whipped his head, and looked at her too, though more tiredly. “And don’t think I’m not calling you out as well. You should have figured it out by now.”

Her icy eyes glared back, as she sat up a little.

“Figure it out? I just feel-”

“You’ve gained weight, for heaven’s sake.”

She stuttered, taken aback. Holding a hand on her chest, she retorted, in denial.

“N-no I haven’t.” She looked at herself, not wanting to admit she had indeed gotten a little heavier. “I’ve hunted a lot, I’ve broken my back working, and I always stay up at night. I should have lost weight in fact.”

Lykaios had the most disappointed expression ever. His fangs were showing while he growled at the three, slamming a paw on the book.

“You three keep ignoring the facts, like if you consider their meaning impossible. It should be painfully obvious what is going on. You’ve been living here together for a lot of time, and you still haven’t got a clue.” He kicked the book he had brought again, landing a nail on a page. “Look at this, and learn for once, you fools.”

Alexis and Uriel exchanged nervous looks. They began to sweat as they looked down, very slowly. Uriel froze when he read the words, while Alexis became pale. She sat there, with an unreadable look in her eyes, thoughts sinking in.

“I’m…?”

Lykaios finished for her, with a stern tone.

“Expecting offspring, as my kind would say.” With a huff and a shake of mane, he walked his way out. He did not want to deal anymore with their negligence. “I can’t wrap my mind about it. You, a mighty lone hunter, like this… At least I expect you to figure out who’s the one.”

He kicked the door of the room closed. He left the three there, wordless.

At first, the three exchanged glances, apprehensively. They had been too close to know exactly what to expect… and it did make Alexis and Uriel fidget for a moment, looking at each other nervously. Ayako was now giving them a sheepish blushing stare, showing trust in her eyes.

They didn’t know how to address the situation. However, even if the angel felt anxiety and slight disorientation, the demon soon overcame the shock he felt. His violet eyes began to glint, and a beaming smile grew on his face. He dropped down to crouch near Ayako, laughing with joy… while his angel dropped down to the ground, backwards.

They still had no clue, but they would figure things out.

—————–

He had fainted, twice.

He never, ever… had seen something like this. It was both horrible and fascinating. And it was not a short experience either. Little by little, the obvious signs of its coming became greater. Literally. For eight months, eight long painful months, in which he was as stressed as when he was chased by Uriel and expecting to be torn apart. He waited, and waited. And watched, how he watched. She felt worse every single day that passed, and he had no clue how she could wear a smile as happy as she had. Uriel was stressed as well, worried out of his mind like him, yet his demon was full of a hope he had not seen in a long time. Uriel would spend every single second at her side, watching intently, and acting at every hint of her needing help. They both would stay awake in the nights, sitting together in a corridor, trying to not scream or laugh uncertainly. They would talk, repeatedly, trying to guess who this kid would be.

They could not know, and no matter how much he expressed his doubts, Uriel did not seem to care. That detail did not matter to him much. Always, every night he lamented not knowing, he would lay a claw on his shoulder and give him one of those smiles, which made him feel something that had to be close to the spell his demon suffered every day, that chain their souls had. Ayako was reassuring as well. She was handling this well. She acted like if it was nothing out of the ordinary.

But it was out of the ordinary. It was a time bomb. He would steal some of her books, and for the first time educate himself in this matter. He would pale at every page, never having bothered to go deep in explanation. He only had known the basics, both of his kind and humans. And how strange it was to him… it only worsened his anxiety for that moment. They would sometimes find him hidden in the office, book in a trembling hand, and they always had to drag him away and give him some tea.

The clock would tick, it seemed to never end. But it did reach a conclusion.

He fought the faintness in his head. They had been awoken in the middle of the night, to a pained scream. Uriel really looked scared in that moment, but determined at the same time. Holding a lot of water, towels and anything at hand, they ran back and forth, one of them always at her side.

There was blood. It shook him, it made him shiver… But it was for a reason.

He had never seen a moment like this, really. Only elders and mothers could attend a birth in his home. Angels rarely had offspring; and when they did, it was treated like a very forward procedure. There was never much expectation, nor joy.

Now he couldn’t avoid inching closer towards the bed, and look down to her arms. Two small blue eyes opened. They stared up at them, with wonder. Her figure was small, fragile looking. Even in the gentle hold of Ayako, Uriel found himself wanting to reach and hold her himself. When Ayako handed the small demon to him, a trembling laugh escaped him. He carefully grasped the baby in his claws, pulling her close to his chest. Those small claws held onto him, and with a long yawn, they saw the two small fangs. She had barely cried, she had almost growled when born.

Alexis neared Uriel’s side, staring curiously at the infant, with unending wonder.

“Look at those horns…”

Uriel nodded, seeing the small pointy bones peek from her head. They were not fully grown, only a hint of what they would be. He gently brushed the small tail that swayed, heart beating. Its end was shaped like a pointy heart.

“She has a tail as well.” He smiled down at Ayako, his own tail swaying. “She has your eyes.”

Ayako was breathing deeply, still lying on the bed. Her expression was joyful, even if tired.

“But they have a hint of yours.”

Uriel lifted his daughter a little. Staring at those eyes, he noted the small violet tint in her irises, which were sharper than his.

“She resembles a little lioness, don’t you think?”

She nodded, pondering.

“Lion…”

—————

One, two, three…

She kept moving. Advancing at her own rhythm, she kept going forward.

Four, five, six…

Her small claws brushed the ground, as she crawled insistently through the corridor, one hand and leg at a time.

Seven, eight… nine?

She did not care how many steps she took. She couldn’t count more. She kept moving, tail swaying behind her.

Creeping through the manor’s dark halls, she followed the scent she had picked up before. Having escaped from her room, she did not know where she headed, but she knew she would reach whatever she found.

Looking up to the big wooden wall that was called a door, she sat there, trying hard to think how to go through it.

She first tried what usually worked. As she leaned her head, she pointed her small but long horns forward, and after a little inner growl of decisiveness… she lunged.

With a small bump, she fell back onto her back. Blinking up at the fierce opponent, she scowled and bit her lip with her small fang. She stood again on her four and glared up with anger, shaking her head and black hair.

She crawled twice in a circle, eyeing the handle of the door above her. Nails twitching, she tapped multiple times on the floor. Leaning down even more, she readied herself for a pounce.

Jump she did. Scrambling a little, she clawed in the air for the handle. Just as gravity pulled again, she snatched it, and hanged there with a deadpanned look on her young face. Soon, she overcame her surprise, and a smug smile grew on her lips. With a pull stronger than a human toddler could manage, the door opened with a click.

She let go, and did not have a perfect landing. But she did not care. As the door opened, the scent she had picked on hit her more strongly. She beamed, and quickly stumbled her way into the room they called the kitchen. She rarely was allowed there, only when held in strong, loving or strangely agile arms. None of them were here now; none could keep her away of the treasures they could touch, forbidden to her.

She crawled on the floor, nearing the place where they sometimes fed her. She jumped on a chair and peeked with hopeful eyes at the surface of the table. She pouted and whimpered with disappointment, realizing that Uriel had taken away all that delicious looking food, again.

She looked around her. She looked at the sharp tools she usually saw them holding, but they did not take her interest. Her claws could scratch better the furniture. No sense in playing with them either, they didn’t make the same noises a cat did when grabbed by surprise.

She saw something else, in between tall counters and pantries. There was a light, the only one in the dark. Her sharp eyesight noticed the glint up there, inside what they called a stone oven. There were no pretty red shiny ribbons in it anymore, but there was a small amber stone. It glinted, small, black, but with orange hues that would flow around it. It emanated the same warmth of those ribbons, in a lesser way.

She nodded, determined to grasp it. The smell of coal made her small nose twitch.

She hoped down the chair, and with a huff, began to push it towards the oven. Once near, she stood on it again, careful to not fall and hurt herself.

Her eyes glinted with fascination. Her claws rose up, reaching apprehensively for the small light. It was pretty, and part of her begged to have it. Her small nails almost touched it, a joyful smile grew… but then she felt herself being pulled away.

“Ariel!”

She blinked in confusion. With a lean of head, she watched as her legs hanged above ground. Slowly, she looked sideways at the hands that held her. She looked up sheepishly, and saw two amber eyes looking down at her with a trace of what they called… fear.

Again, she heard her name, what everyone said when near her. Alexis was shaking his head, hands trembling while holding her away from the treasure.

“Ariel, what the he-” He seemed to correct himself, keeping down a word she did not know yet. “What were you doing?”

She tried to say his name; she knew it well in her mind.

“A-ales.”

Similar enough, but it did not seem to amuse him. Again he frowned and tried to correct her, with obvious relief in his eyes.

“It’s Alex, Ariel.” Holding her closer with a calmer smile, he repeated, trying to sound clear. “Aaaalex.”

“Ales!”

She did not seem to be able to say the letter X yet. He did not blame her; she was honestly smarter than any other toddler he had seen.

With a long sigh, he looked back, and called with a tired tone.

“Guys, I found her!”

He looked at her again; he was glad to have stopped her in time. How she managed to escape her crib so swiftly and go through the entire manor, he did not know. He heard hurried steps, and was not surprised to hear Uriel gasp and lunge into the room.

“There she is!” His demon quickly snatched her from his arms, not because he feared she could still hurt herself, but because he had been searching everywhere. “How did she end up in here?”

Alexis shrugged, scratching his hair.

“Don’t really know. I didn’t think she would learn to climb stairs.”

Again, he couldn’t avoid noticing how those little sharp eyes were fixed on him. Ariel had a sharp nose, and every single time she was near him, she would stare at him intently. She knew he was different, and she could not help but look at him like how she looked at fires and food. It was wonder, which he still was trying to get used to.

Only when Ayako came in did she look away.

“Aia!” Smiling wide, she fidgeted in Uriel’s hold, lifting her claws up to reach for her mother. “Treasure!”

Ayako slowly looked at the oven. Deadpanned, she looked at Uriel, dreading to ask.

“Please, don’t tell me she was trying to touch the coal in the oven.”

Uriel bit his lip. Exchanging a look with Alexis, they knew it was better to not confirm what she already knew.

“She was not going to touch the oven.”

Uriel’s nervous smile did nothing to make Ayako cheer up. Rolling her eyes, she picked Ariel up and looked her down, scolding. Ariel did shrink a little, knowing she had done something bad.

“How can you move so fast being so small? What did we say about escaping your room?”

The little demon moved her head down, but kept looking up timidly. Her tail was tugged while she stuttered under the firm glare of her mother.

“N-not to.”

“That’s right.” Ayako stopped looking at her so sternly, and brushed her black hair gently. That managed to make Ariel laugh, still too small to really learn a lesson. “What I’m going to do with you?”

“Read?”

Even though it was past midnight, Ariel was still full of energy. She had her claws clasped, begging for them to read her another fairytale to sleep.

Uriel offered kindly, walking up to the two.

“I will read you a story, little lioness.” Looking at Ayako, he smiled worriedly. “You should go back to sleep.”

Ayako finally yawned, rubbing her eyes while Uriel took Ariel again.

“Maybe I should…”

She would have never expected that taking care of a baby would be so tiring… but no one warned her that most demons liked to be nocturnal.

———————————

When no one looked, she got her way.

Taking a deep breath, she would ready herself. Moving down her two hands, she would near the warm coal of the fire in front of her. Focusing, she would brush it carefully, and then, lift it up in her hold. A scowl would show on her face, for she still felt a sting of pain, the fire would burn her… but only for a second. A confident smile would grow, for she would manage to clasp the coal without hurting. Her sharp eyes glinted, not only with their beautiful color, but with something else. With long intakes of air and a serene stance, she could hold the burning stone, and turn what would be pain into a warm sensation.

It was a short lived moment, for she rarely was left alone. She flinched and dropped the coal back into the fireplace, quickly sitting away. Tucking her hands and tail, she pretended she had not touched the fire. She did not look at her father, who had walked into the room holding a lot of blankets and clothes. He eyed her intently, with a hint of a small smile on his face.

She thought she would manage to get scot free. He was not saying a word about her mischievous act; he was filling the closet with the recently washed clothes, and changing the bed sheets. She thought Uriel did not know, until he crouched at her side by the fireplace.

“Playing with fire again, aren’t we?”

She gasped and bit her lip. Grabbing her own tail, she whispered shyly, without meeting his eyes.

“I- I wasn’t playing.”

Uriel nodded multiple times, amused by her feigned innocence.

“Oh, you weren’t?” He suddenly grasped one of her hands and pulled it up for both to see. “Then what’s this, Ariel?”

There were slight burn marks on her hands, not terrible ones, but bad enough to bother him. He did not pull at her hand strongly or angrily, he was in fact very kind and gentle. But he was still asking to get an answer out of her.

Ariel’s tail began to move nervously, tapping the ground. She looked up at him again, confessing.

“Okay, maybe I did touch it… But I was not playing, I swear.”

Uriel let go. He slowly sat at her side, cross-legged. Serious but caring, he explained again.

“We’ve told you many times not to touch fire.” He offered, knowing exactly why she felt so drawn to it. “You’re too young to control this kind of magic yet.”

She growled silently, letting down her arms.

“I’m almost six. I could.”

“Well, I learnt to summon small sparks at the age of ten.” He added, scratching one of his horns sheepishly. “And fire when I was thirteen.”

“But you had no one to teach you.” She stood and leaned onto him, pleading. “I learn quickly. Please, teach me already.”

He wanted to say yes very badly. But as a parent, he knew it was too soon. He ruffled her long black hair, amused by her eagerness.

“When you are older. Ten, maybe twelve. Magic is dangerous.”

“Too long…” She was a calm child, her demeanor was always composed and thoughtful, but with the energy of her mother. “I can learn now.”

“You sure about that?” He grinned mischievously, seeing her nod intensely. “Very well then.”

She beamed when he stood, solemnly. She was rightfully bewildered when he did not summon any fire, but in fact drop a heavy blanket into her arms.

He pointed with his tail, going back to clean the rest of the rooms.

“Take this to the laundry room, it needs to be cleaned. Ayako should be there now.” He halted by the door, saying one last thing to the perplexed child. “Prove you can handle some of the chores we deal with, and I’ll think about teaching you early.”

“B-but…!” She sweated, now changing her mind. “I’m only five…”

“Then you can drop it and go play with your toys; it’s not a problem. Though I was already able to do harder chores by your age.”

If one thing made Ariel stand her ground, it was a challenge. Puffing her chest out, she glared where Uriel had been, angrily.

“…Fine.”

Lifting one of her legs up, she took a first step, strongly. She left the room where she had hid, and marched through the hallway fiercely with the cloths in her arms. However, she was not exactly watching where she was going. While holding the big bed sheets, her vision was hindered. She soon collided with a guest that crossed her, causing the poor man to yelp, brushed by her horns, which pointed upward in the shape of an open heart.

“S-sorry!”

She stumbled her way forward, walking around humans, who always gave her curious or wary looks. It was a thing she soon noticed, since she could hold memory; she knew she was different and that the guests they hosted would be surprised by her. No one dared bother her though, and sometimes, her cuddly feline appearance made some women awe at her. And those women were always scared off by Ayako, who never allowed anyone else but Alexis and Uriel to look at her down.

When she was halfway there, she had to step down some small steps. Carefully, she tiptoed down, peeking over the blankets. It was only thanks to a lynx, which was always wary, that she avoided tripping. She felt Lykaios bite onto her small dress from behind, when she had missed a step. She looked back at him with watchful eyes after he levered her back. The demon rarely spoke to her, like if he did not like her. Giving her one last intense look, he walked away, saying nothing. She never questioned why the small devil disliked her so. He usually watched her every move, like a stalker, wordlessly. She did not like his stuck up behavior either.

She was not afraid of him. After sticking her tongue out in his general direction, she kept going, ignoring him back.

Though almost tripping again, she managed to reach the basement. Even when going through the darkest corridors, she wasn’t scared. Her own room was down here. According to Alexis, when she was little she couldn’t stop getting into the basement, and she had taken a liking to a room in particular in here.

She was not going to her room though. She made a turn and dodged an armor, which looked back at her when it spotted her. Then, pushing a big door timidly, she was hit with the pleasant smell of soap and aromatic herbs. And more scents, which always were familiar.

She leaned her head as she walked in. Alexis and Ayako were there, bickering as they used to do.

“I don’t see why you should add that much soap. It’s a waste.”

“And I don’t see why you should add these herbs, they smell from miles away. It’s just laundry; it should not be so complicated, for fu-”

Alexis slammed his mouth shut, as soon as he realized Ariel had walked into the room. Ayako sent him a raise of eyebrow, having told him many times to keep his curses down. Luckily, Ariel had never caught him swearing in all these years. It was a miracle, considering she once had bitten him as a baby.

Huffing, she neared the two and dropped the sheets into a basket.

“And…! Here!”

Ayako smiled down at her, proud to see her help. It was not much to carry two bed sheets; in fact, it was just a small test by Uriel. But it gave her pride and joy to do it, accomplishment.

“Ah, learning to do the laundry?”

Alexis commented, sinking some clothes into soapy water.

“Not like she hasn’t seen us do it already… Could probably do it better than you. With her eyes covered.”

Ariel grinned, having always been praised by the angel. His comparisons between the two were the only moments when Ayako didn’t mind him taunting her.

“Of course she could.” She bent down a little to look at her daughter, proudly. “Want to help?”

Ariel nodded strongly, whipping her tail decisively.

————————–

It was not a good day.

Walking hurriedly, he barely paid mind to his surroundings. He had to halt his fast steps, when he felt a small tug at his side.

He looked down, and saw Ariel there, looking up at him sadly, dragging a backpack in her free hand.

“It’s sunday.”

Uriel grimaced, tail going down. With the most apologetic look he could show, he shook his head.

“I’m really sorry, but we can’t go see the forest today, Ariel.”

“Why not?” The sadness was obvious in her voice, as much as her disappointment. “We always go for a walk on Sundays. I want to go to the fields, with our horse.”

Last week, they had to tell her no. Once again, it hurt him to do so. But they couldn’t.

“I could take you… but we would have to go alone. Ayako would not feel well, and someone needs to stay by her side.”

“She could sit inside the cart. She did last time. She could watch the grass, birds and pond from there, while we play around. I want us to go together, like always.”

He brushed her long hair sadly, final.

“We can’t, Ariel.”

He looked up, remembering he was supposed to do something. He entered Ayako’s room, leaving her there, alone in the corridor. Her mother had been less playful recently; every day, Uriel and Alexis would let her take care of fewer chores. She wouldn’t chase her anymore through the halls. She had not left her room much either. She wouldn’t even read her a story for sleep.

Now, with more time to be on her own, she felt lonely. She did not like to be in the main chambers with all the guests. Their glances always felt different, the rooms felt empty even if full. She just wanted to be near them, it was what made her happy. As much as they still paid her mind, she felt this way.

She did not understand.

Slowly, she neared the space near a wall, by two tall imposing armors. Sliding against it, she hid under their shadow, hugging the backpack against her. If she could not go out with them to the fields, she did not want to be in the living room with whispering stares.

She sat there for some minutes, asking herself if she had done something wrong. She did not notice the small rabbit that padded his way through. Abiel did notice her there, and being curious as always, neared her slowly.

She blinked, when she felt his small snout sniff her claws. The rabbit saw his chance to find a place to curl up, and he took it. She did not protest to him lying on her lap, because it was something the bunny had done for as long as she remembered. At first he avoided being chased by her, but now he considered her as safe as his owner.

As she petted him with a sad expression, she heard some familiar steps. Alexis was heading as well for Ayako’s room, but halted as soon as he noticed her there.

“Ariel?” He was carrying a tray, with some medicine on it. “What are you doing there?”

He slowly let down the tray on the ground, not caring if anyone could walk by and trip with it. He crouched to look at her, worriedly. He noticed pretty quickly that she was holding back tears, and that her voice was sad.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“At all.”

He frowned. Slowly, he moved his way to her side, trying hard not to push an armor while he sat. Once settled there, he glanced sideways at her, nudging one of her horns.

“You’re here because we cancelled our usual trip, right?”

She nodded, not bothering to hide her dislike. That made him sigh, while scratching his hair apologetically.

“You’ll have to forgive us. We really can’t. Though, I could take you if-”

“Uriel said the same. I want us all to go.”

Alexis shut up. He knew she was not interested as much in the fields, but what they represented. They had always played with her there, letting her chase or climb trees, only to catch her as she jumped; no one but them there, away from the eyes of strangers. She wanted their company. He knew, so he tried to bargain.

“Well, maybe not today… maybe not in a week, or the next one. But soon, we will all go. I promise.” He doubted, wording himself carefully. What would he say next was something that a small kid could not understand or take well. “Maybe… Maybe someone else could go with us.”

He seemed really nervous. She noticed.

Ariel was an observant kid. Instead of questioning his words, she noticed that he was fumbling with his hands, eyes fixed on the wall.

“Are you alright?”

Alexis tried to say yes.

“O-of course, why would I…” He let out a long breath, noting her skeptical look. “Okay, maybe I’m not.”

He took one of the herbal infusions he had carried on the tray and drank it in one go, even though it was meant for Ayako. Ariel was eyeing him with interest, her young mind pondering with a million thoughts.

“Is someone coming to the manor that’s making you nervous? Is that why you all are so weird these days?”

He laughed tiredly at that. Her concern was endearing, cute even. She had seen many things in the time she had lived; bothersome guests, big groups of travelers that made a lot of demands, and scary mercenaries on their way to other regions. None had faced her, only the thought and knowledge that if a demon were to come, it would mean trouble.

She knew he was an angel after all, but not what it truly meant. Still, she always was concerned in a caring way.

“It’s not that, kid. Well, maybe it is that. In a different way. Very, very different. I don’t even know who it will be: someone like Ayako, someone like Uriel… or someone like me. I’m nervous.”

“I don’t get it.”

He snorted bitterly.

“Neither do I.” He fumbled with his hands again, trying to make a comparison for her to puzzle together. “Look, you know how some guests always go in pairs?”

“Yes?”

“Well, throw that out the window and picture the weird looks we get sometimes. We break many common suppositions, and whoever is coming may be one way or another because of it.”

A glint of understanding crossed her gaze. She suddenly gasped, and said something he did not see coming.

“Are you trying to tell me that some guests think you’re secretly bandits? That someone is going to try to take you away because they don’t like you? Should I hide you?”

He was taken aback for a moment. How the child could come to that conclusion, he did not know, but he had to give her imagination some credit.

“No, what? Not that! We don’t steal; we have never bothered anyone. I don’t even know how to handle my sword. How would I-?” He groaned, going off track. “That’s not the point! What I’m trying to say is that anything is possible with the one that’s coming.”

Her expression could not be more confused. Neither could his. Alexis buried his face against his knees, huffing in exasperation.

“How can I say this…?” Uriel had not dared to say anything, because he feared there could be complications and wanted to prevent one more from being heartbroken. Ayako was not in shape to explain right now. And he, well, he had never expected this would happen again, to be honest. “Okay, I know. I’ll ask you a question, and you got to say yes or no.”

“Okay?”

“Okay…” He held it for a moment, but then blurted it out with one breath. “How would you feel about having a brother or sister?”

There, he said it. He felt slight relief. Though it was short lived, because now Ariel was showing signs of her surprise, slowly opening her mouth in awe.

He flinched when the girl jumped and leaned on him, asking with pure wonder.

“Will she be like me?”

Under her intense joyful stare, he felt like he had a million holes. That very same question was what was making him so nervous, even before she had asked.

“I- I don’t know. We don’t even know if she is a girl or-”

“Where does she come from? How will she get here? Uriel said I was brought by a stork! But I know he was lying!”

“A s-stork? No. I don’t think…”

Ariel leaned her head in thought, believing that her possible sibling would arrive from a faraway land. Alexis really did not want to be the one to tell her where she had come from, and so he panicked. It was pure coincidence, that in that moment, a lynx was walking out of Ayako’s room, minding his own business.

Lykaios’ ears shot up in shock when Alexis pointed at him hurriedly, in a panic.

“He will bring her!”

Lykaios pierced Alexis with a glare, mentally wishing for those armors to fall on top of him. He did not deny a thing, because Ariel was now looking at him with pure skepticism, but not because he was a feline.

“Him?” She gave a look at Alexis, shaking her head. “But he’s a mean grumpy demon! Why would he do a nice thing like that?!”

Lykaios glared at them both, and walked away with a huff. Alexis was glad that the demon said nothing… because he had enough already with what was coming.

—————————-

He had been sure it would be a demon. And a demon it was.

She… she was a demon. But there were no horns. There was no tail. Two blue eyes opened, somewhat hazily, in a fearful manner. The child looked up at them, curiously, apprehensively. She did cry, not like her sister.

But he was not able to reach for her. He was frozen, looking at those fangs, claws… and half formed limbs on her back. She had no hair yet, but he could tell she was his. He couldn’t look away, there was no way he could stop looking at those fair colored feathers, which covered her small primal wings. But those wings were not like his had been. No, it was similar, but entirely different. He shivered while looking at them; they were more hairy, more bat like, even if of the same shape of an angel’s. The feathers were pointy like his, but composed of fine sharp threads of hair, making them look like fur.

What he was looking at was not an angel. Nor a human. It was nothing they could have expected. She was nothing like them.

It made no sense.

“I don’t understand.”

It was the only thing he could say.